Generating media content playlists including relevant interstitials

Abstract

A method includes identifying media content items for a playlist, identifying interstitials for the playlist, and pairing the media content items based on the interstitials. Each resulting pair of media content items is related to one of the interstitials. The method also includes arranging the resulting pairs of media content items in the playlist together with the interstitials that are each related to both media content items in a respective pair of the resulting pairs. Each interstitial is inserted between a first media content item and a second media content item in a respective pair of the resulting pairs in the playlist.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method, comprising:
 identifying a plurality of media content items for a playlist; 
 identifying a plurality of interstitials for the playlist; 
 pairing the plurality of media content items based on the plurality of interstitials, wherein each resulting pair of media content items is related to one of the plurality of interstitials; and 
 arranging the resulting pairs of media content items in the playlist together with the interstitials that are each related to both media content items in a respective pair of the resulting pairs, wherein each interstitial is inserted between a first media content item and a second media content item in a respective pair of the resulting pairs in the playlist, wherein arranging the resulting pairs of media content items in the playlist together with the interstitials comprises traversing a longest path of nodes on a graph, wherein the nodes on the graph comprise each media content item in the resulting pairs of media content items and each interstitial, wherein the media content items in the resulting pairs of media content items are linked together by a respective interstitial having the one or more identifiers that match one or more identifiers of the resulting pair of media content items. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein content of each interstitial provides a transition from the first media content item in the respective pair of the resulting pairs to the second media content item in the respective pair of the resulting pairs, to facilitate cohesiveness of content across the playlist. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the resulting pairs of media content items and the interstitials are arranged in the playlist based on a score of a frequency of occurrence of pairs of media content items having one or more identifiers that match one or more identifiers of one of the plurality of interstitial. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein each media content item in the resulting pairs of media content items is weighted based on affinity of a user to a respective media content item. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein the affinity is determined based on at least one of a number of times the user has played the respective media content item, and whether the user has indicated that the user likes the respective media content item. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein each interstitial is a trivia element that provides information related to the first media content item in a resulting pair of media content items and to the second media content item in the resulting pair of media content items. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the trivia elements are one or more of audio, text, images, and videos. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 maintaining a history of inserted interstitials; and 
 in response to a determination that the at least one interstitial has been inserted in the playlist in the past, inserting a different interstitial that has one or more identifiers that match one or more identifiers of a respective pair of media content items in the playlist. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein one interstitial of the plurality of interstitials is played in the playlist by overlapping, with a first portion of said one interstitial, an ending segment of the first media content item in a respective pair of media content items, and overlapping, with a second portion of said one interstitial, an introductory segment of the second media content item in the respective pair of media content items. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of media content items comprises audio. 
     
     
       11. A system comprising:
 a memory device; and 
 a processing device operatively coupled to the memory device, the processing device to:
 identify a plurality of media content items for a playlist; 
 identify a plurality of interstitials for the playlist; 
 pair the plurality of media content items based on the plurality of interstitials, wherein each resulting pair of media content items is related to one of the plurality of interstitials; and 
 arrange the resulting pairs of media content items in the playlist together with the interstitials that are each related to both media content items in a respective pair of the resulting pairs, wherein each interstitial is inserted between a first media content item and a second media content item in a respective pair of the resulting pairs in the playlist, wherein arranging the resulting pairs of media content items in the playlist together with the interstitials comprises traversing a longest path of nodes on a graph, wherein the nodes on the graph comprise each media content item in the resulting pairs of media content items and each interstitial, wherein the media content items in the resulting pairs of media content items are linked together by a respective interstitial having the one or more identifiers that match one or more identifiers of the resulting pair of media content items. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 11 , wherein content of each interstitial provides a transition from the first media content item in the respective pair of the resulting pairs to the second media content item in the respective pair of the resulting pairs, to facilitate cohesiveness of content across the playlist. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the resulting pairs of media content items and the interstitials are arranged in the playlist based on a score of a frequency of occurrence of pairs of media content items having one or more identifiers that match one or more identifiers of one of the plurality of interstitials. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 13 , wherein each media content item in the resulting pairs of media content items is weighted based on affinity of a user to a respective media content item. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 14 , wherein the affinity is determined based on at least one of a number of times the user has played the respective media content item, and whether the user has indicated that the user likes the respective media content item. 
     
     
       16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when accessed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform: identify a plurality of media content items for a playlist;
 identify a plurality of interstitials for the playlist; 
 pair the plurality of media content items based on the plurality of interstitials, wherein each resulting pair of media content items is related to one of the plurality of interstitials; and 
 arrange the resulting pairs of media content items in the playlist together with the interstitials that are each related to both media content items in a respective pair of the resulting pairs, wherein each interstitial is inserted between a first media content item and a second media content item in a respective pair of the resulting pairs in the playlist, wherein arranging the resulting pairs of media content items in the playlist together with the interstitials comprises traversing a longest path of nodes on a graph, wherein the nodes on the graph comprise each media content item in the resulting pairs of media content items and each interstitial, wherein the media content items in the resulting pairs of media content items are linked together by a respective interstitial having the one or more identifiers that match one or more identifiers of the resulting pair of media content items. 
 
     
     
       17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein content of each interstitial provides a transition from the first media content item in the respective pair of the resulting pairs to the second media content item in the respective pair of the resulting pairs, to facilitate cohesiveness of content across the playlist. 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the resulting pairs of media content items and the interstitials are arranged in the playlist based on a score of a frequency of occurrence of pairs of media content items having one or more identifiers that match one or more identifiers of one of the plurality of interstitials.